Too Scared to Sleep
by Hogster
Summary: The Doctor is being chased by nightmares. What does he do when Rose begins to notice the after effects, and what other consequenses do the nightmares bring?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Thanks for viewing, hope you enjoy!!!

To Scared to Sleep

Rose woke suddenly. Not entirely sure how or why, she slowly sat up and looked around her dark surroundings and rubbed her bleary eyes. She could sense something nudging her to get up. Something nudging her to go and find the Doctor.

Slowly but surely, Rose got up and pulled on her dressing gown, before making her way out of her room and into the derelict corridor. Rose wasn't sure where the Doctor would be, but with the TARDIS' help, she was sure she'd find him.

She searched the console room, the library and the kitchen, but with no positive felt the TARDIS nudging her again though, and hesitantly followed the urge until she found herself standing in front of a green door. Clearly through the silence of the night, Rose could hear noises coming from inside the room. Believing the Doctor to be working, she knocked and entered, only to find a strange sight in front of her.

The Doctor was lying on his bed, asleep, but clearly ailing from something. Moving closer to him, Rose watched as the Doctor squirmed, breathing heavily, his hands made into fists. Rose put her hand to his forehead and felt the beads of sweat coming from it.

The Doctor let a moan escaped his mouth, and with that, Rose knelt down next to his bed and worriedly tried to shake him awake. The Doctor wasn't roused, however. She took a firm grip of the Doctor's shoulders and practically hoisted him into a sitting position.

That seemed to work, as the Doctor;s eyes suddenly flicked open, and there, above him, stood an anxious looking Rose.

"Doctor, are you alright?" Rose asked desperately, brushing the Doctor's messy brown hair away from his forehead, "I was really worried!"

The Doctor brushed her words away and nodded shakily, swinging his legs off of the bed and sitting on the edge, looking at the floor. He ran his hands over his pale, weary face, then didn't look at Rose, clearly embarrassed.

"Doctor, speak to me! What's wrong." Rose questioned, sitting down on the bed next to him.

The Doctor sighed and finally turned to face her.

"Rose..." His voice sounded hoarse when he spoke, "Rose, I...I was having a nightmare."

Rose just looked at him. The Doctor, her saviour and her protector, was simply having a nightmare? Well, it had looked a lot worse than a bad dream, she thought.

"If you ask me, it looked like more than a nightmare." Rose replied, wrapping an arm round the Doctor's shaking shoulder.

The Doctor stayed silent for a moment, before saying, "It gets worse every night, Rose. It happens every single night, but becomes worse every time."

Rose frowned. If the Doctor had been having nightmares every night, why had the TARDIS only alerted her now? Why hadn't it alerted her the minute the Doctor began to suffer from these dreams.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She whispered.

The Doctor shrugged, "I didn't think I needed to."

"So you've been having barely any sleep every night because of this?" She then asked.

The Doctor slowly nodded. Come to think of it, Rose had noticed a difference in the Doctor. He wasn't as energetic as usual, and he did look as if he'd been ailing from something. Rose hadn't taken much time to contemplate over this in the past week though, as the Doctor always seemed to be too busy for her to notice, and Rose was aware about how much the Doctor kept himself to himself. How could she have noticed? Now she knew why he'd been so desperate to have something to do every minute of every day. Surely it was to take his mind of the horrors he dreamed about during the night.

Rose guiltily brought the Doctor into a hug, cursing herself for not caring for the Doctor more carefully. The Doctor was still shaky and pale, clearly not over his most recent nightmare.

"Rose," He mumbled, "I dream about the worst things from my past." He gulped, "I'm scared. I'm even too scared to go to sleep now."

Rose rubbed his back in soothing circles.

"Don't worry, Doctor, none of that is true anymore. I'm here for you, and I always will be."

The Doctor's face crumpled, and he tried to hold back tears, "I know, Rose."

He returned the hug, and Rose continued to comfort him, hoping beyond hope, that it would help.

A/N: So, what do you think? I was wondering if I should just make this a one-shot, but I'm sure I could draw the story out longer if you like it!!! Please tell me what you think, reviews would be much appreciated!!! Thanks!!!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry about the delay!!! I've decided to continue this story after the reviews I have received for it. Hope you all enjoy!!!

Chapter 2

Ten minutes later, Rose and the Doctor could be found, sitting at the kitchen table in the TARDIS, slowly drinking a large mug of hot chocolate each. The Doctor was lost in his own realms of thought, where as Rose wasn't.

Rose was watching the Doctor apprehensively, taking in his shallow breathing, and his still fearful eyes. The Doctor wasn't aware of her doing so though. He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts.

After a moment or so, Rose decided it was time to break the droning silence.

"So," She looked at her watch, "It's quarter to four, Doctor, are you wanting to try going back to sleep?"

The Doctor absently shook his head, not looking Rose in the eye.

Rose inhaled a deep breath and rubbed her bleary eyes, trying to improve her sleepy vision.

"You can go to bed if you want, Rose, I don't want to prevent you from your sleep." The Doctor stated, staring avidly at his hands.

"No, it's fine, I'm wide awake, there's no need. I'll stay with you." Rose replied firmly, but then she yawned.

The Doctor looked up at her sadly.

"It's fine, Rose, you go back to bed. I'll be OK."

Rose shook her head silently, then rested her chin on the fisted hand. She didn't want to start an argument about whether she should stay or go. She just wanted to make sure that the Doctor was alright. She still felt bad for not noticing his now evident nightly struggle, and hadn't been there to comfort and care for him.

The silence held for a while longer. Longer than Rose had actually realized. By the time a word was spoken, it was ten past four.

"More hot chocolate?" Rose questioned quietly, indicating to the Doctor's empty mug.

The Doctor shook his head, "No thanks." He croaked, trying to clear his throat.

Rose hesitated for a moment, before chancing her result and saying, "Doctor, what were you dreaming about?"

She had been silently debating with herself for the last fifteen minutes about whether or not it was a good time to ask the Doctor this question, but she felt, that the best thing to do when you had a nightmare was to talk to someone about it. That's what her mum had always told her, and she believed it was better to try to rid people of nightmares rather than to fail to try.

The Doctor, seemingly surprised at her sudden statement, visibly paled. Yet again, he didn't look at her and then said, "Just stuff." He paused, "Look, Rose, I really don't want to talk about it right now. I'm not in the mood."

Rose nodded understandingly, "You don't have to, it's just, if you want to talk, remember I'm always here if you need me."

The Doctor nodded, finally looking up into her caring face, "I know."

Rose smiled. Standing up, she moved round the table and gave the Doctor a quick hug, before saying, "I think I'll go to bed now. If you need me, just knock. I'm a very light sleeper. Night."

As she walked out of the kitchen, the Doctor gave a mumbled thanks in reply, and when he was definitely sure that Rose was out of earshot, he let out an audible sign, lost in thought again, and staring at nothing in particular.

All those deaths he'd inflicted, all those people who were dead because of him. He could hear them screaming in his head, loud and clear, as if trying to make him endure their suffering. He dreamt about it, reliving almost every death, but that was only a part of the nightmares. There was more too them, a deeper vessel. The guilt played with the Doctor's mind causing guilt, dread and depression. It caused the dreams to expand, making them bigger and more frightening every time the Doctor dared to close his eyes. And yet, he wasn't a murderer. He was just trying to protect the universe, and those within it. He wasn't trying to cause pain and suffering. He was trying to prevent it.  
The Doctor felt lost and misunderstood. Every death which was even remotely related to him, made him feel as if a part of his soul was being wrenched out, forming a large gaping hole in its place. He cared though. He cared about humans, and Earth, and the fate of the Universe, but why did everything end in death and destruction?

He let out a deep, shaky breath, feeling his head pounding to indicate an oncoming headache. He dragged his hand through his messy hair and contemplated over his situation. He was tired, yes. He was possibly more tired than he had ever felt in his life, but there was no way he was risking going back to sleep that night. What if he relived more of his memories, slipping into the realms of his past? No, he would stay awake, his decision was final.

Deciding that the best thing to do in this predicament was to try and take his mind away from recent events, the Doctor decided that he would pass time by tinkering away in the console room. He was sure that he hadn't checked over the controls in over a month, and it was about time that he did a thorough check. He didn't want to risk Rose's safety.

Slowly getting to his feet and ignoring the sickening wave of dizziness that penetrated his mind as soon as he stood up, increasing the pain in his head, the Doctor quickly began to make his way to the console room, hoping beyond hope that familiar work would help him to recover from sleepiness, and relax his shaken brain.

A/N: So, what do you think? Please review!!!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks for the reviews!!! Hope you enjoy!!!

Chapter 3

When Rose awoke at half eleven the following morning, she felt relaxed and peaceful. It took her a moment to remember the events of the early morning, but when he did, she decided the best thing to do was to get up and check on the Doctor to make sure he had slept alright after the events of the night.

On reaching his bedroom, however, she found the bed to be empty and the room to be deserted. Deciding he must have gotten up earlier, Rose made her way to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea, before she retired to the console room, hoping to find the Doctor there.  
As she entered the room, she heard the familiar noise of the Doctor at work. Walking round the console, she found the Doctor lying under the console, seemingly adjusting wires.

Rose crouched down and said quietly, "Morning Doctor."

The Doctor, obviously not having spotted her, just about jumped out of his skin.

"Rose! I didn't see you!" He panted, sitting up, making sure his didn't collide with the console.

On seeing his face after he had left the dark shadows formed from the TARDIS' console, Rose gasped loudly. The Doctor's face was an ashen colour, almost grey. He had large purple bags under his eyes, and his eyes were bloodshot. Rose was now quite aware that the Doctor hadn't gone back to bed at all that morning.

Slowly, she helped him up and took him over to the Captain's chair, where he sat down heavily and looked over at Rose, an unconvincing smile set across his pale face.

"So, did you have a good sleep?" The Doctor asked, clearly trying to look as healthy and cheery as he could.

Rose just glared, hand on her hips, watching him, both annoyed and worried.

"You didn't go back to bed." She stated clearly, watching as the Doctor shrunk under her glare, "Why didn't you go back to bed?"

The Doctor looked down at the floor and shrugged, mumbling something that Rose couldn't make out.

"Doctor? Doctor, look at me when I'm talking to you." She said softly, waiting while the Doctor looked up, "Doctor, you're going to end up making yourself ill if you don't sleep. I know you said that you don't need as much sleep as hum,ans, but you still need to rest."

The Doctor stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.

"Now, I propose that you go and get some rest. You're dead on your feet here."

The Doctor shook his head and smiled again, taking another stab at being cheery, "I'm fine Rose, I'm wide awake, and ready to go. Where do you want to go today? Your decision!"

He stood up and began to make his way round the console, but after taking no more than three steps, he tripped over the loose wires he had  
been sorting a few minutes before, and fell forwards, his knee colliding painfully with the console panel.

Rose watched as he let out a loud hiss of pain and crumpled to the floor, holding his aching knee tightly, his eyes shut against the pain pounding across his knee cap.

Rose ran to his side instantly and tried to turn him over onto his back, but he was in such a tight ball that he wouldn't allow her to.

"Doctor? Doctor, are you alright? Doctor?" Rose asked desperately, pushing his messy hair off of his forehead, which was now beginning to sweat from the pain pulsing through his knee.

"What do I do, Doctor? Where does it hurt?" Rose anxiously called.

"My...my knee." The Doctor whispered, gripping his knee so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

"Let me see." Rose replied, brushing her hair out of her eyes and beginning to pull the Doctor's hands away from his knee cap.

"No!" He yelled, tightening his grip even more, which caused his knee to increase in pain, "No, don't touch it, Rose, it hurts!"

"I know it does, but it isn't going to stop hurting unless you let me take a look at it." Rose said kindly.

There was silence except for the Doctor gasping in pain, before Rose spoke again.

"Doctor, you can't stay there. Look, sit up a bit and lean against the wall. There's one right next to you."

The Doctor hesitated for a moment, then slowly he began to sit up slightly, his face drawn in pain. Rose helped him to lean back against the wall, and then she moved towards his knee, but the Doctor quickly put his hands gently on top of it to prevent her from doing so.  
Rose looked up into the Doctor's face. His eyes were wide open now, and Rose was sure she could see tears beginning to swim in his eyes from the agony.

"Rose, it hurts." He mumbled, biting his lip to stop himself from yelling in pain.

"Just let me see it, Doctor!" Rose protested, "I won't hurt you, I promise."

The Doctor hesitated again, but slowly he began to move his hand, then leaned heavily against the rough wall, turning his face away as Rose carefully began to roll his trouser leg up. When she reached his knee, he hissed yet again, but she ignored him this time, continuing to to roll up the material.

On seeing the knee, Rose gulped, her face going pale. The knee cap was already beginning to swell, and it was bruised. Blood was seeping from a large deep cut on the surface of the knee, and beginning to run down the Doctor's leg and drip onto the grating.

Rose bit her lip and turned to the Doctor, who still had his face turned away from the sight.

"Doctor, we need to get that tended too!" She stated, but the Doctor still wouldn't look at it.

Rose stood up and paced for a moment. Where could they go? She couldn't risk taking him to a hospital, she knew he wasn't human, so what would happen if the hospital found out? They'd keep him in and start doing tests and experiments. No, a hospital was definitely out of the question.

Rose stopped and watched as the Doctor tentatively turned round and looked at his knee. AS soon as he saw it, he paled even more, if that was possible, and began to shake terribly. Rose sat down next to him and brought him into a hug. She could feel hear his shallow breathing, and was beginning to feel heat radiating from his body, caused from the pain.

"It's alright, Doctor. It'll be OK. I just have to figure out what to do." She mumbled away, rubbing his back comfortingly. Then it came to her. It was the only reasonable decision.

Standing up, she ran through to the closest bedroom and pulled a bed sheet out of the cupboard. She knew there were bandages in the med bay, but it was too far away, and she wouldn't know how to mend the Doctor's knee. She needed someone else's help.

Taking the bed sheet back to the console room, she ripped it in half and, ignoring the Doctor's pain-filled yells, she lifted up the knee and began to wrap the sheet around it, tying it tightly to put pressure on the wound. The Doctor yelped loudly, but Rose simply said, don't worry Doctor, help is on it's way.

Leaving the Doctor leaning against the wall, Rose made her way round the TARDIS and looked down at the many controls. The Doctor had only given her a few lessons on how to fly the TARDIS, but she was sure she'd manage. She'd been to the place she was going so often, that she knew exactly the right buttons to press.

Doing so, she heard the TARDIS begin to dematerialize into the vortex, and the uncomfortable part of the journey. She could hear the Doctor yelling in pain as his injured knee began to hit against the grating, and slowly, she managed to make her way over to him and crouch down, gripping his leg to prevent it from colliding with the floor.

As soon as the TARDIS stopped, Rose gently put the Doctor's leg back down on the floor and jumped up.  
"I'll be right back, Doctor." She called, and quickly ran down the ramp to the door. It creaked as she roughly pulled it open, to reveal a familiar  
sitting room.

"Mum!" Rose called, her voice echoing around the small flat, "Mum, are you there?"

A/N: So, what do you think? Please review!!!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks for the reviews!!! Hope you enjoy!!!

Chapter 4

Jackie Tyler was suddenly interupted from her daily phone call from her friend Bev, hearing her daughter calling for her through the little flat. Quickly telling Bev she'd call her back, she exited her bedroom and made her way to the sitting room, where Rose could be found, standing just outside the TARDIS.

"Rose, I was expecting you home so soon! Why didn't you call?"

"Mum, I need your help!" Rose said desperately.

"What's the matter?"  
"The Doctor's hurt! I need you to help me lift him out of the TARDIS."

Jackie just nodded and quickly followed Rose through the TARDIS door and up the ramp. The Doctor was still leaning against the wall, his injured leg stretched out in front of him. His eyes were still closed, and there was very little colour in his face at all.

Rose made her way over to the Doctor and took one of his arms.

"Doctor, we're here. We're just going to get you out of the TARDIS, OK?"

The Doctor shook his head, "No, Rose, don't make me move." He croaked.

"I have to. Come on, the quicker you come, the quicker the pain will stop."

When the Doctor didn't reply, Rose put one of his arms around her shoulder, and Jackie did the same with the other.

"Right, we're going to lift you on three. OK, one...two...three!"

They pulled the Doctor to his feet and he yelled, not daring to put any weight on his bad leg.

"Right, quickly Mum."

As speedily as possible, Rose and Jackie supported the Doctor down the ramp and out of the TARDIS. They pulled him over to the sofa and deposited him on it. He grimaced as the back of his knee hit the soft cushions, but said no more.

"I'll go and put the kettle on." Jackie suggested, making her way round the sofa and through into the kitchen.

As the kettle began to boil, Rose pushed the Doctor back onto the sofa, and to her surprise, he didn't protest. Usually he hated being cared for and looked after, but at this moment, he seemed to be in too much pain to care.

Rose was actually surprised at in how much agony he seemed to be in. The Doctor had been though incidents far worse than this, but he had never seemed to be this hurt. Maybe it was down to lack of sleep, but Rose had a nasty feeling that the injury was actually more serious than she had originally believed. How much damage can you do by colliding with a console?

Rose untied and removed his converse, placing them at the side of the sofa and returning to place a cushion under the Doctor's knee. The sheet she had wrapped around the wound was now soaked with blood. The Doctor groaned as she lifted up his leg to placed the cushion there.

"Rose?" He croaked, opening his eyes to look over at her.

"Yeah?" She asked, moving closer to his head.

"I can't feel my knee."

"What?" Rose said.

"I can't feel my knee. I can still feel the pain, but my knee's gone all numb."

Rose looked down at his knee and decided that the best thing to do was to remove the blood-soaked sheet and look at the knee more closely.

She did so, and when the sheet was completely off, she could see that the knee had turned black and blue and covered in blood. The wound had swollen dramatically, and was now about double the size it had been earlier.

Rose bit her lip for the third time that day, before deciding what to do.

"Doctor, I think I'll call Jack Harkness."

A/N: Please review!!!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks for the reviews!!! Hope you enjoy!!!

Chapter 5

The phone rang in the Torchwood hub and was almost instantly received by captain Jack Harkness, who had been sitting tiredly looking over some paperwork. Putting the receiver to his ear, he heard a familiar voice.

"Jack, is that you?" Rose asked, hoping desperately that she had got the right number.

"It is indeed!" Jack replied cheerily in his strong American accent, "Rose, how are you?"

"I'm alright, but the Doctor isn't! Jack, I need your help, the Doctor's hurt!"

"Where are you?" Jack asked seriously, standing up and running across the room to retrieve his coat.

"We're at my mum's flat."

"Right, I'll be there as soon as possible." Jack hung up the phone and pulled on his jacket, before reaching down to his transporter and getting ready for the uncomfortable journey.

* * *

No sooner had Rose put the phone down, there was a knock at the door. She ran forwards and pulled it open to reveal a rather flustered Jack.

"That was quick!" Rose stated, "I barely even had time to put the phone down!"

Jack nodded, "Transporter."

He held up his arm to shown Rose the watch-like object set upon his wrist.

Rose nodded and began to lead him through to the sitting room where the Doctor could be found, still lying on the sofa. His eyes were shut and his complexion pale.

"Well Doctor," Jack voiced looking down at him, " You've definitely seen better days." 

The Doctor grimaced and opened his eyes, "It's good to see you too, Jack."

He tried to sit up, but didn't quite manage it. After only manging to raise his head slightly, he quickly gave up, lying pack down against the cushions.

Rose sat down on the couch and pushed his messy hair off of his forehead again, but this time he shook her off, seemingly having returned to his normal care-free state.

"I think I'm alright now, can we go?" The Doctor pleaded, making to sit up again.

Rose shook her head, "No Doctor, you can't even walk!"

"I can, it's not very sore anymore." The Doctor protested, sitting up fully and making to stand.

Obviously the shock of pain had washed over him now, but it was evident that the Doctor was just making up the fact that he was now fine. The pain may have subsided a bit, but from the looking at his knee, Rose and Jack could see that the pain was still there.

Rose tried to stop him, but the Doctor pushed her off gently and began to stand up. As soon as he put weight on his injured leg, however, he paled even more, if that were possible, and began to fall. Jack managed to catch him before he hit the floor, but it didn't him from letting out a yelp of pain. Jack set him back onto the sofa and knelt down next to it, looking even more intently at the Doctor's injury.

"That's nasty, Doctor, and I'm telling you, it's not going any time soon."

"Don't be stupid, Jack. I'm a Time Lord, and that's just a bruise. You know how fast I heal. It'll be gone by the morning." The Doctor stated with a wave of his hand.

Jack looked up at Rose, silently telling her to hold the Doctor still. Seemingly getting the message, Rose nervously took hold of the Doctor's arms.

"Rose, what are you doing? Can you l-arrrrrghhhhh!" The Doctor screamed.

A few seconds previously, Jack had just placed his fingers on the wound and pressed down, putting pressure on the injury. Ignore the Doctors yell, he moved over to one side of the knee cap and pressed down, before doing the same on the other side. After doing so, he looked up to Rose and the Doctor. The Doctor was so pale he looked on the verge of losing consciousness.

"What are you trying to do, Jack? Kill me?" The Doctor retorted angrily, pulling away from Rose and placing his hands protectively over his knee.

"It's the only way I could find out what you've done to it." Jack informed quietly, "Doctor, it looks as if you've cracked your knee cap."

The Doctor stayed silent, but he could sense both Rose and Jack's eyes set upon him.

Rose was about to speak, but she was stopped by her mother's entrance.

"Cup of tea, great for nerves." Jackie stated, walking over to Rose and the Doctor and handed them both a mug of the steaming substance. Next she turned, and spotting Jack, she looked curiously down at him.

"Hello." She said, "Sorry, but who are you?" 

"Oh, Mum, this is Jack. Jack Harkness." Rose informed, as Jack stood up and grinned cheekily over at Jackie.

"Well, hello there." He smiled, "Rose, this woman can't be your mother! She looks much too young!"

He held out a hand for the furiously blushing Jackie to accept.

"Jack." The Doctor warned.

"Sorry." Jack huffed, "I was just being friendly."

"I'll go and make more tea!" Jackie stuttered keenly, practically running from the room, clearly trying to cover her burning face.

Jack laughed, "She seems nice."

The Doctor glared up at him, "Right, we're leaving now. I'm sorry, Rose, but I have to finish sorting the TARDIS."

"Not now you're not." Rose stated, keeping a firm grip on the Doctor to prevent him from standing up again.

The Doctor growled and tried to gently pry Rose's hands away from his arms, but Rose was much stronger than she looked. She turned back to Jack and began to speak again.

"What do? We can't take him to the hospital, it's too dangerous." Rose stated.

"Not if he's just going for a knee x-ray. The Doctors wouldn't know the difference." Jack said in reply, looking down at the Doctor.

"I'm not going to hospital." The Doctor protested angrily, "There's nothing wrong with me, it's just a bruise!"

"I think you'll find it's more than that." Jack voiced.

"You can't crack your knee cap by simply hitting it off of the console. You're over reacting, Jack." The Doctor said firmly.

"Fine, be that way." Jack murmured, turning back to Rose, "Rose, come on. Obviously he's not going to let us help." 

Rose hesitated, then stood up, walking over to the kitchen, Jack right behind her. Just before she left the room, she turned back.

"And Doctor, don't you dare move! If you move, I'll seriously not be happy."

The Doctor shrunk back into the the sofa and pouted, crossing his arms across his chest grumpily.

A/N: Please review!!!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hope you enjoy!!!

Chapter 6

The Doctor sat, eyes wide, waiting. Jack, Rose and Jackie were still in the kitchen, and the Doctor had only been alone for twenty minutes. He had considered getting up and going back into the TARDIS, but from Rose's threat and the pounding from his knee, he'd thought better of it. The only problem was, sleep was catching up on him, and by staying still for so long, it was causing him to become very sleepy. More than once he could sense himself drifting off, and having to shake himself awake again. He didn't want to risk having another nightmare, especially with Jackie and Jack present this time. No, he wouldn't allow himself to fall asleep. His trouser leg was still rolled up, his injury easily visible. The Doctor didn't look at it though. Every time he thought about it her began to feel sick, so he didn't want to think what he'd end up like if he looked at it again. He could feel the blood still trickling down his leg though. As he leaned further back against the sofa into the comforts of the soft cushions. Again he felt himself drifting off, then he stopped trying to persuade himself to stop, but the warm realms of sleep were beginning to take over, and it felt so inviting...

Unbeknown to the Doctor, Jack had been watching his strong battle with the dream world from the kitchen door, which was slightly ajar. When the Doctor finally drifted off, Jack turned round to face Rose, who had been quietly chatting away to her mother.

"Rose," He murmured, "That's him asleep."

Rose nodded and quietly began to follow Jack out of the kitchen, Jackie just behind them.

"Oh, he doesn't look too good, does he." Jackie whispered staring down at the Doctor's sleeping form.

Rose put her finger to her lip to silence her mother, before crouching down and taking a firm grip on the Doctor's leg. As she did so, the Doctor groaned and turned his face into the cushions, clearly too tired to even wake.

"What do we need?" Rose mouthed to Jack.

"I'll go and get some stuff out of the TARDIS." He whispered back and disappeared into the TARDIS.

There was silence as Jack disappeared, but returned five minutes later, his hands laden with medical equipment. Carefully he deposited them next to the sofa and began to look through them.

"Just hold his leg still." Jack stated, picking up some antiseptic spray, "This'll probably sting."

He began to spray the antiseptic over the Doctor's knee, and although his leg shook a bit from the sting, he still didn't wake.

Jack picked up a packet of wipes and began to wipe the blood off of the wound.

"Watch you don't get any blood on the carpet!" Jackie warned, watching over the two adults at work.

Next, Jack moved closer to the knee, before saying, "I need to set the knee cap. Just hold him really still, this is going to hurt."

Rose gulped and held the leg steady, and Jack carefully took hold of the knee cap and turned until he heard a faint 'click'.

As soon as they heard it, the Doctor let out a loud scream, but after the scream subsided, he still didn't wake.

"Right, now all we have to do is bandage it up." Jack stated, picking up a roll of bandages and beginning to wrap it tightly around the Doctor's leg. After doing so, he stood up and viewed his work, "Good, all done."

Rose placed the Doctor's leg back down on top of the cushion and stood up. She was glad that the Doctor had finally began to recover some rest. He was obviously tired, seeing as he didn't wake up when Jack set his knee.

"Leave him to sleep, Rose." Jack said, "He obviously needs it."

Rose nodded, "He barely slept at all last night, or the last few nights actually. He's been having nightmares. I know he doesn't need as much sleep as us, but he still needs to rest, which he clearly hasn't been doing."

"What kind of nightmares?" Jack asked curiously.

Rose shrugged, "I don't know. He wouldn't tell me."

There was silence. All three of the adults were staring down at the Doctor, watching his form sleep peacefully. He looked a lot younger when he was asleep. He also looked very vulnerable as well. Rose pushed that thought out of her mind and turned to her mother and Jack.

"Well, maybe he'll sleep OK today." She stated.

Jack and Jackie nodded.

"It's only one o'clock. He can rest there for the rest of the day." Jackie said kindly, "But for now, I think it's time for lunch. You'd be very welcome to stay id you want Jack."

Jack grinned, causing Jackie to blush terribly again.

"It would be my pleasure, Ms Tyler." 


	7. Chapter 7

Three hours later, Rose and Jack could be found sitting at the kitchen table, talking quietly, Jackie having gone out to see Bev. Rose had been pleased to see that the Doctor was still sleeping peacefully. He must have been so tired that the nightmares weren't affecting him.

Not long after this comforting thought had crossed her mind, however, she heard a yell from the sitting room. As she and Jack entered, looking over at the sofa to see the Doctor shaking uncontrollably and moving from side to side so violently it looked as if he was going to fall off the sofa onto the floor at any moment. His face was pale and drawn, and sweat was beading on his forehead. He let out yet another strangled yell and turned his face away.

Jack moved forwards, and quickly took hold of his leg, holding it straight to prevent the Doctor from jarring his knee. As he was doing so, Rose moved in and gently shook the Doctor's tense arm, trying to rouse him from his dream.

"Doctor!" She called, "Doctor, wake up!"

She shook him more roughly, placing her hand on top of his forehead. As her cool touch hit him, the Doctor took in a deep breath and opened his eyes. At first he looked as if he wasn't aware of his surroundings, but after a moment, he spotted a concerned Rose leaning over him, and Jack at the far end of the sofa, still keeping a firm grip on his leg.

"Are you alright?" Rose asked, brushing the Doctor's hair off his sweaty forehead for the third time that day.

"Yeah...what...what happened?" The Doctor rasped, sounding confused

."You had a nightmare." Jack stated.

The Doctor blushed and looked away, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Rose took hold of his chin and turned his head back round to face her. She could still see the fear in his eyes from his latest encounter with the realms of sleep, and her heart went out to him. Slowly, she pulled him into a comforting hug, which he returned.

"Watch his knee, Rose." She could hear Jack call, but she ignored him. All she cared about was trying to comfort the Doctor.

It seemed like an eternity before she pulled away from him and took in his sad face.

"Are you alright?" She asked again, seeing him shiver uncomfortably.

He nodded, before whispering, "Rose, can we go now?"

She felt so sorry for him, but they couldn't leave, not yet. The Doctor wasn't even capable of standing up on his own too feet, and she needed Jack's help. The one thing she was particularly good at was taking care of injuries.

She shook her head, biting her lip when she saw the Doctor's downcast look.

"Doctor, you can't even stand. Just wait a few days, you said you heal fast, so if you keep off that knee, you'll be up and about in no time, but right now, you have to rest."

The Doctor didn't reply, shifting his gaze over to Jack.

"Will you let go of me?" He asked quietly.

Jack gently deposited the Doctor's leg back on the couch and took a empty armchair. Rose stayed where she was kneeling down next to the sofa, but the Doctor sat up and turned slightly, so only his injured leg was resting on the seat.

"What was it about?" Jack asked through the silence.

"What?" The Doctor asked, not looking at either Jack or Rose.

"What was your dream about."

The Doctor didn't reply immediately, but began to sit up as straight as he could without moving his leg from it's position.

"It doesn't matter." He finally said.

"It does." Jack replied, "Tell us, Doctor, we can help."

The Doctor hesitated, before saying, "It's not important."

Rose stood up at this and looked down upon the Doctor, "What do you mean? Of course it's important! You're the man who protects our universe, but when you're hit by a nightmare you're too embarrassed to seek help from others?"

The Doctor didn't speak, obviously assuming that the statement was meant to be rhetorical.

"Just tell us, Doctor. We'll be able to help," Rose confirmed, sitting down in front of his leg on the sofa, "And the last thing we're going to do is laugh."

Jack nodded to support Rose's words, and the two occupants watched the Doctor for a reply. He stayed silent for a while, but then he let out a heavy sigh.

"It was about everything." He paused, "Gallifrey, death, guilt...everything. I've inflicted death on hundreds of innocent people, and they've all come back to haunt me. I didn't mean for all of this to happen, I didn't want any of this, and look what I've done. Whenever I try to help the situation always turns out worse." He gulped, looking on the verge of tears, "I...I don't know what to do, I can't cope with all of this."

He turned to face Rose, tears glistening in his wise, old eyes. Rose didn't know what to do, so she simply brought him into yet another hug, rubbing his back comfortingly.

"It wasn't your fault, Doctor, it wasn't your fault." She mumbled, trying to stop his tears, which were now falling uncontrollably.

"You know, Doctor," Jack said, "You've saved Earth lots of times, and yeah, a few people have died, but if you hadn't have helped, even more people would have been killed. Don't take on that grief and guilt. It wasn't your fault."

The Doctor nodded slightly, moving away from Rose and wiping his tears soaked face Even if it wasn't his doing, he still knew he would take on the guilt. He was the one who was supposed to be taking care of the Earth, and if people died, he knew he would feel responsible.

The Doctor was actually surprised, as he felt a bit better after speaking to Rose and Jack. He didn't feel as scared now that he knew that they were there for him.

Jack stood up and took a stab at changing the subject, "Now, about your knee. While you were sleeping, I cleaned the wound, set the knee cap and bandaged it up. I thought you would have those special bandages that hardened when the were used, but the TARDIS seems to have run out."

The Doctor nodded, "I used the last of them when Rose sprained her wrist last month."

"Right, well, I just used ordinary bandages, which means they won't be quite as affective because they're not really keeping your knee straight. My advice is that you don't walk for a few days to give the injury a bit of time to heal." He paused, then said, "Practically, the knee cap is very tender and fragile, so if you put weight on it'll move positions and I'll have to set it again, which will be even worse than the first time. OK, have you got that?"

"You set my knee while I was sleeping?" The Doctor asked, "That would explain why it's more painful than earlier."

Rose and Jack laughed, and even the Doctor smiled a bit.

"Right, so Doctor, would you rather stay here, or go and lie on the bed in the spare room?" Rose asked."I'm not ill, Rose, I think I can decide when I need to go to bed." The Doctor complained.

"You're injured, therefore, you need care." Rose replied firmly, "And you've not slept properly in days. Even if you are a Time Lord, you still have to sleep."

"Rose, even if you send me to bed, I'm not going to go to sleep. I've had about three hours of sleep, that's plenty of time." The Doctor stated, trying to cover a yawn.

Rose wasn't convinced, "I know, I'll bring a duvet through and you can lie under that. You can even watch the telly, seeing I'm in a generous mood."

The Doctor protested, saying he didn't need a cover, but Rose disappeared for a moment and returned with one anyway, along with a heap of pillows. Carefully, she lifted his leg, removed the cushion it had been sitting on, and placed three pillows in it's place to elevate his leg and make it comfier. Next, she removed his crumpled suit jacket and tie, then placed a pillow behind his back, before throwing the duvet over the top of him, ignoring his grumpy expression and crossed arms.

"There." She voiced happily, before handing him the remote for the television, "All yours."

Jack and Rose watched as he grumpily accepted the remote and began to flick through the channels. Next, they made their way back into the kitchen, Jack saying, "He's going to bored out of his brains within the next hour."

A/N: So, what do you think? Please review!!!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thanks for the reviews!!! Hope you enjoy!!!

Chapter 8

The Doctor woke with a start, sweat and tears trickling down his cheeks. He sat up and rubbed his face with the back of his sleeve, trying to push the dream out of his head. He tried to convince himeself that it was only a dream, but in the end, he couldn't. The nightmares were solid, true reality, and whether he took the blame for what had happened or not, the events had still happened.

Looking at the clock on the wall, he saw that it was two in the morning. He'd only been sleeping for an hour then. The Doctor had sat up, bored stiff until one in the morning, forcing himself to stay awake, but he must have just drifted off. Rose and Jackie had gone to bed at eleven, Jack taking the spare room, leaving the Doctor on the sofa. They had offered him the spare room, but then they had decided it was est that he didn't get up at all and risk putting weight on his knee, which suited the Doctor just fine. He wanted to stay near the TARDIS.

The Doctor looked down at his sweat soaked shirt and trousers, which were crumpled and creased. He really wanted to go and get changed into his pyjamas, but he'd been warned by Rose and Jack umpteen times not to get up. He hadn't risked getting up earlier in case he got caught, but now that all three of the other occupants in the flat were asleep, he thought he could manage to go into the TARDIS and quickly change, and maybe even get some chocolate biscuits to nibble on and some tea. Tea and biscuits seemed very inviting at the moment, but the Doctor stopped as soon as he'd pulled of the duvet. Jack had told him not to get up, he had warned him, but maybe he was just being over cautious. Besides, the TARDIS was only about ten steps away, the Doctor was sure he'd manage that, and his bedroom and the kitchen were quite close to the console room, so he wouldn't have far to walk at all.

Convincing himself that Jack was just being over cautious and paranoid, the Doctor pulled himself to his feet and began to walk towards the TARDIS, but as soon as the Doctor put even the tiniest bit of weight onto his injured knee, the injury burned red hot and he felt himself beginning to fall, and just to make the situation worse, the Doctor felt his knee collide with the coffee table which was situated immediately in front of the sofa.

The Doctor screamed out as he crumpled on the floor, holding his knee tightly again. He continued to scream in agony, letting out his pain in the form of sound. His knee pulsed, and the pain was so intense that he began to retch.

His eyes were closed, but he could sense the light being switched on, and he heard voices, even though he couldn't make out what they were saying. He continued to retch, gripping his knee tighter and tighter.

He felt himself being rolled onto his back, but he didn't loosen his grip on his knee, and he didn't open his eyes. The pain was even worse than it had been when he had originally injured his knee, and he could feel unconsciousness tugging at him, but he stayed awake, still yelling.

Rose and Jack crouched over him, swapping worried glances.

"Doctor, Doctor can you hear me?" Rose called, holding onto his shoulder to prevent him from moving to much, but it wasn't doing to much to help, "Jack, what do we do?"

Jack was trying to loosen the grip the Doctor had over his knee, but the Doctor wouldn't budge, "It's the shock, he'll get over it in a few minutes." He let out an angry sigh, "I told him not to get up! I told him, but did he listen?"

It took five minutes for the Doctor to calm down even slightly. His breathing was shallow and laboured, but he'd stopped his continuous screaming. His face was covered in sweat and tears again, and his hands still hadn't budged off of his knee.

"Doctor," Jack called, "Doctor, open your eyes."

The Doctor shook his head and rocked back and forwards on the floor.

"Well, at least we know he can hear us." Jack said quietly, "Let go of your knee, Doctor, you're just making it worse for yourself!"

The Doctor shook his head again and continued to rock.

"Rose, take hold of his arms." Jack told her, before turning back to the Doctor, "I'm sorry about this Doctor."

As Rose held onto his upper arms, Jack took hold of the Doctor's wrists and roughly pulled them away from the injury.

"No, no, no, no, no....." The Doctor pleaded, moving his head from side to side incoherently.

"I'm sorry." Jack replied sympathetically.

The Doctor's hands were coated in blood, and looking down at the Doctor's trouser leg, Jack could see that blood had seeped right through the material.

"Right, Rose, keep hold of his arms." Jack ordered, beginning to carefully role up his trouser leg.

At first glance, all Jack could see was blood soaked bandages. Slowly beginning to remove them, Jack grimaced when he saw what lay beneath them. The knee had burst open, and the knee cap was dislocated, and still cracked, only slightly worse due to the collision with the coffee table.

Jack turned to Jackie, who had been watching from the door.

"Jackie, could you hold his leg straight while I get the bandages and antiseptic."

Jackie nodded and quickly moved forwards, taking a firm hold on the Doctor's leg.

Lucky for Jack, he had left the equipment next to the sofa, so it didn't take him too long to retrieve it. As soon as he moved back towards the Doctor, Jackie let go of the leg and began to make her way to the comforts of the kitchen, calling back, "I'm sorry, but stuff like this makes me really queasy."

"Mum doesn't like blood." Rose stated simply, still keeping a strong hold on the Doctor, who was continuing to mumble incoherently.

Jack nodded, "Rose, his knee's now dislocated. I have to put it back in place." He let out another angry growl, "Why didn't he listen to me!"

"He's like that." Rose replied.

"This is going to hurt." Jack told the Doctor, but the Doctor still wouldn't listen to him, "Rose, talk to him, keep him awake." Jack ordered.

Rose looked down at the Doctor, who stopped rocking and looked back up at her. He was still sweating terribly, his face pale and gaunt.

"Doctor, what were you doing?" She asked, just for the sake of making him talk.

"I was...I was going to go and get changed." The Doctor replied through gritted teeth.

"Right, on the count of three." They heard Jack call, "One..." 

"Why?" Rose then asked the Doctor.

"I...I was...was going to change into...into my...my pyjamas."

Rose felt sympathy cry out for him yet again. He really did have a knack of making her feel sorry for him.

"Two..." Jack could e heard saying.

The Doctor clearly knew what was going on, for at that moment, he cried out, "No Jack, don't!"

Jack ignored his plea, and as he said, "Three...", he twisted the knee until there was a loud 'crack', indicating that the knee was now back in place.

The Doctor let out a loud howl of pain, fresh tears escaping from his closed eyes. Rose had now let go of his arms, and he moved them down to his knee again, crying noisily.

Jack bit his lip, feeling ad for inflicting more pain on the Doctor, but it had to be done, and at least he was still conscious.

"That's the worst part over." He said comfortingly to the Doctor, "I just have to set your knee cap again and clean the wound. I'll put some numbing gel on so you won't feel me setting the knee cap."

Jack was true to his word, and the Doctor barely felt the knee cap click back into place, or the sting of the antiseptic spray. Rose was now sitting behind him, so he was in a half sitting position, his head resting against her shoulder. He had stopped crying, but there were still tear tracks visible on his sweaty face. His throat had began to hurt from the screaming, and his head was pounding horribly.

When Jack had finished cleaning the wound, he wrapped and even thicker layer of bandages round the Doctor's leg, so much so, that he could barely bend his knee at all.

"All finished." Jack stated, cleaning his hands on some wipes, "Now you understand why I told you not to get up."

The Doctor didn't reply, clearly too tired to care now.

"I'll go and get some of those special bandages tomorrow. Now that it had dislocated, it could pop out of place at any moment, so just to be on the safe side." Jack informed them.

"What were you up for, Doctor?" Rose asked again, trying to get the Doctor talking.

"I was going to get changed into my pyjamas." The Doctor croaked, "I was uncomfortable in my suit."

"You could have called on us, we would have got them for you." Rose replied comfortingly.

"Didn't want to wake you." The Doctor murmured back.

"I'll go and get your pyjamas and you can change in here." Rose said, beginning to get up and make her way to the TARDIS.

Within two minutes, she had returned with his blue and white striped pyjamas, before she and Jack left to allow him to get changed. It was quite difficult with his sore knee, but he managed, and before he was really aware, he was being comfortably tucked back under the duvet by Rose. He was tired again, and he wasn't completely sure why. He'd had four hours sleep that day, surely that was enough to keep him going. Usually he could last a week with that amount of rest.

Jack yawned and tidied away all the medical equipment, before turning to Rose and saying, "I'm heading back to bed now."

"OK," She replied, "I'm going to stay with the Doctor and make sure he doesn't get up again."

Jack nodded and left, shortly followed by Jackie.

By the time Rose had retrieved her own duvet and pillow, the Doctor had fallen asleep again. She watched him for a moment, before making herself comfortable on the sofa diagonally from the one the Doctor was occupying. The minute her head hit the pillow, Rose had began to drift off. It had been a busy twenty four hours, and she was quite happy to say, she was tired.

A/N: Did you like it? Please review!!!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thanks for the reviews!!!

Chapter 9

The Doctor woke late the next day, and again, it took him a moment to remember where he was. The events of the previous night were hazy, as if it had all been a dream, but the Doctor knew it hadn't been, mostly due to the bad pains still issuing from his leg. He lay silent for a moment, not moving a muscle, too scared to move in case he jarred his knee.

His head had began to pound again, just as it had the night before, and along with the pain from his knee, he wasn't feeling one hundred percent, that was obvious. He slowly began to sit up, pulling himself into a more comfortable position. The sofa in which Rose had been occupying the night before was now empty, and she was nowhere to be seen in the room.

Assuming she was probably in her room, or the kitchen, the Doctor closed his eyes against the bright lights above and contemplated over his predicament. Not being able to get up without hurting himself had really taken a big knock on his confidence level. What was he going to do all day? Just lie on the sofa and stare into space?

As he continued to contemplate, the door opened and Rose entered, smiling when she saw that he was awake.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, resting a hand on his forehead, as if feeling his temperature.

"Was I feeling sick?" The Doctor croaked.

Rose shrugged and sat down on the sofa, being careful not to sit on his bad leg.

"Have you got a sore throat?" She then asked with a look of concern.

"A bit," He mumbled back and closed his eyes again as his head gave a particularly painful jolt of pain, "And a sore head." He added.

Rose felt his forehead again.

"I suppose you're a bit warm. Did you not say your body temperature is slightly lower than a humans?"

The Doctor nodded slowly, not wanting to move his head too much.

"Then maybe you have a bit of a fever." She said quietly, "No wonder after what you've been through during the last day."

"Rose I can't be sick, I never get sick." The Doctor croaked.

"Well, maybe it's a first then." Rose replied, "How's your leg?"

"Sore." The Doctor stated quietly.

Rose nodded, "It looked it. The numbing gel must have worn off then."

The Doctor just lay back into the pillows.

"But on the plus side, you didn't seem to have a nightmare last night." Rose then said keenly.

The Doctor nodded, realizing that that was true. It was the first time he hadn't had a nightmare in weeks. Maybe this was a positive turning point. Maybe that was the nightmares over now.

Rose pushed him out of his reverie, saying, "Do you want some paracetamol? It'll help with the pain?"

The Doctor shook his head, turning his face away, "No, I can't take that, I'm allergic. I can't take anything like that."

"OK, are you just wanting to sleep some more?" She then questioned.

"Why am I so tired, Rose?" The Doctor asked.

"You've not slept that much." Rose said reasonably, "Maybe all those sleepless nights are catching up on you."

"No, I've slept enough to last me over a week of energy, but I'm still tired." The Doctor complained.

"It's probably just the healing process. The more you sleep, the more you'll recover."

"Maybe." The Doctor murmured through heavily hooded eyes.

"Look, you go back to sleep. You'll probably feel a lot better when you wake up." Rose said quietly, tucking him comfortably under the duvet, and watching him as he fell asleep instantly.

At that moment, Jack walked in and whispered, "Is he still sleeping?"

Rose nodded, "I think his body is trying to heal quicker, that's why he needs so much sleep."

Jack nodded in reply to her statement.

"Come on, lets go and make some tea and leave him to sleep." Rose stated, moving towards the kitchen.

Jack followed on, saying, "Mm, tea sounds good."

A/N: Just a short chapter. Thanks for reading!!! Please review and tell me what you think!!!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews!!! I'm really glad you are all liking this!!! Can I just add that this story was set after the Battle of Canary Wharf, only without Rose or her mother ending up in the Parallel Universe. Thanks!!! **

Chapter 10

The Doctor woke to the noise of the television blaring. Raising his head slightly, he could see Jack and Rose sitting in two armchairs gazing at the television with interest. He rubbed his bleary eyes and cleared his dry throat. On the whole he was feeling marginally better than he had been when he had previously woken, so that was an improvement. His knee still hurt though, but that wasn't a surprise. Jack had told him it would, so, ignoring the pain, he pulled himself into a sitting position.

Hear him clear his throat, Rose turned and smiled over at him, making to get off of her chair.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" She asked softly, moving over to sit on the couch next to him.

"OK." He mumbled quietly, "Better than I was anyway."

"Good. Do you want something to eat?" Rose then asked, "You've not eaten since yesterday."

The Doctor shook his head, "No thanks, Rose, I'm not really hungry."

Rose scrutinised him, "You've got to eat, how else are you going to heal quicker?"

The Doctor didn't reply to this.

"Look, I'll make you some soup, how about that. That's easy on the stomach." Rose insisted, getting up, before heading off into the kitchen.

"So, you've finally returned to the land of the living, Doc!" Jack laughed, "How's your knee?"

"Fine." The Doctor lied, "Actually, I think I'll be up and about by tomorrow."

Jack grimaced, "I wouldn't do that, Doc, I've not even had a chance to put the tougher bandages on yet. God, you're arrogant."

The Doctor frowned, "I can't just sit around her for the next three month until my leg has _properly healed_! Rose and I have places to go, and people to see."

Jack grinned at this, "You know, Doctor, I could come with you and Rose." Jack hinted, "Please? I promise I'll be on my best behaviour, and I'm medically trained, even better."

The Doctor rubbed his eyes, before saying, "I'm not sure, Jack, I'll have to think about it." He replied, then he asked, "Wait, how did you become medically trained anyway?"

"Well, after being killed multiple times, you kind of pick up a few pointers," Jack jested, then added, "And there's something I haven't told you, Doc."

"What?"

* * *

Rose suddenly heard a yell coming from the sitting room, and quickly pulling the soup off of the heat, she ran through to see what the cause of the commotion had been.

When she entered, she found the Doctor standing just next to the sofa he had recently been lying on, his face pale and gaunt, holding onto the sofa for support with one hand, his sonic screw driver pointed at Jack with the other.

"You work at Torchwood!" He yelled, his eyes widening dramatically.

"It's different, I'm telling you!" Jack cried, "We've improved it! Without Hartman and her crew, we're trying to help!"

"You're a traitor, Jack!" The Doctor shouted, waving his sonic screwdriver threateningly, "Torchwood's Torchwood, there's no changing that!"

Jack looked innocent over at Rose, who could see from his expression that he was telling the truth. He wouldn't go against them. Not at a time like this.

"Right," Rose stated, moving over to the Doctor and pulling the sonic screwdriver out of his grasp, "Let's all just sit down and talk this over rationally." Then she added, "Doctor, how are you managing to stand up?"

"I have no idea." He replied honestly, beginning to descend onto the carpet.

**A/N: Sorry it's so short, but it seemed a good place to stop, but I'll try and update as soon as possible!!! Please review!!!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I'm really sorry for not updating sooner!!! I've been studying for exams, but now that they're nearly over, I can write again!!! Yay!!!**

**Chapter 11**

After carefully managing to position the Doctor back onto the couch, Rose could sense that the silence in the room was clearly evident. Jack still stood up, leaning against the wall and cautiously taking in the Doctor's deathly glare.

Rose didn't know what to say or do. She felt as if she was the peace maker in this situation, but she didn't feel as if she was making much peace. She was just standing, watching the too men carefully.

Finally Jack managed to break the silence by clearing his throat, loudly but nervously. He still didn't break eye contact with the Doctor, however.

"Look, I'm telling you, Doctor, whether you choose to believe me or not, but Torchwood _has_ changed!" Jack blurted out, "They're not capturing extra-terrestrials anymore, but _helping _them."

"Why should I listen to you, Jack? You've changed!" The Doctor replied angrily.

"Yeah, well, when you find out that you've been left behind and you learn that you're immortal, generally that does strike some new emotions!" Jack retorted.

"Guys, look, can't we just sort this out _quietly_?" Rose suggested, "Honestly, they could hear you all the way in Buckingham Palace with the racket you're making!"

That seemed to shut both Jack and the Doctor up, as nobody spoke after that statement.

The Doctor rubbed his eyes, but still refused to shift his gaze on Jack. For all he knew, Jack could be capable of carting him off to the Torchwood headquarters and dissecting him.

"Right, now that we have marginally calmed down," Rose voiced, "Let's talk this over _before _making accusations."

She sat down next to the Doctor and indicated Jack to take his vacated seat opposite. Once he had done so, Rose spoke again.

"Ok, so Jack, tell us what's going on."

Jack cleared his throat again before beginning, "Well, after the Battle of Canary Wharf, Torchwood fell, and by the time I caught up with the present, everything was gone, so I met some people and we decided to recruit new staff and bring back Torchwood, but for the better. Now we are helping aliens and extra-terrestrials, not capturing them. We're doing the complete opposite of what the original Torchwood did. We're just trying to help." He finished innocently.

"But why should we believe you?" The Doctor protested, "How do I know you haven't just made that story up to get me to Torchwood and…I don't know, dissect me or something?"

"You should believe me because I'm your friend." Jack replied, raising his voice, "And do you think I would have bothered to help mend your leg if I was just going to capture you? What would have been the point? It would have been easier getting you to Torchwood without fixing your knee. You wouldn't have struggled as much."

"Well," The Doctor started, trying to think of a retort, but finding it difficult, "Maybe…maybe you were just trying to make me gain your trust!"

"If I was doing that, why would I have told you about Torchwood?" Jack stated icily.

"I don't know!" The Doctor cried, "Maybe it was all part of your devious plan!"

There was another pause, in which both men glared daggers at each other, before Rose spoke up tentatively.

"Doctor," She started, "Doctor, I think Jack's telling the truth."

The Doctor looked round at Rose, breaking his eye contact with Jack for the first time.

"How can you be sure?" He exclaimed.

"Doctor, Jack's your friend! He wouldn't do that to you! Or me! He's innocent." Rose concluded.

"Just let me prove it." Jack added, "I'll take you to the Torchwood headquarters and show you that it's changed."

The Doctor's eyes widened, and without speaking, he somehow, with much support from the furniture, managed to hobble painfully over and into the TARDIS, slamming the door loudly behind him.

"Someone's cranky." Jack exclaimed.

"You have know idea." Rose replied, standing up and making her way over to the TARDIS to retrieve the Doctor before he decided to disappear without her.

**A/N: Sorry it's quite short, but I will update again soon! Thanks for reading and please review!!! The more reviews I get, the quicker I update!!! Thanks!!!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sorry about the wait, I was having a serious mental block! Thanks for all of the reviews!**

Chapter 12

On entering the TARDIS, Rose found the Doctor leaning heavily against the console, looking at the screen set in front of him, and refusing to meet Rose's gaze.

"Doctor, come on, you know Jack. You know he wouldn't work against you. He's no that sort of person." Rose took a stab at conversation, but the Doctor still didn't look at her.

"Where do you want to go next, Rose? I still haven't taken you to Barcelona, have we? We should go there, great place! You know, last time I went there was about-!" He was trying to sound enthusiastic, like his usual manner, but Rose could see through the mask, and cut him off coldly.

"Doctor, we're not going anywhere, not until we sort this problem out, and plus, you're in no fit state to go anywhere!"

"Look, Rose, stop worrying, I'm perfectly fine, I've never felt better in my life. I'm the picture of health! Now, let's stop this nonsense and move on!" He complained.

"We can't just leave. My mum would wonder where we'd gone, and it wouldn't be fair to leave without saying goodbye. And what would we do with Jack? He'd have to come with us. We can't just leave him with my mum." Rose stated.

"I'm sure your mum would be perfectly happy to see Jack still there." The Doctor muttered.

Rose gaped at him, shocked, "Doctor, what do you take my mum for?"

The Doctor, believing this to be a rhetorical question, didn't answer, simply muttering an apology in Rose's direction. Throughout this whole conversation, he still hadn't so much as glanced at her.

"Doctor, look at me when I'm talking to you!" Rose suddenly shouted, clearly feeling annoyed at his attitude, "You've been acting really odd lately, and I know you know you have! I understand that you are upset about the nightmares and the memories, but you have to look towards the future instead of the past. That's what you've always told me, and I know that the normal you would have trusted an old friend, who, despite your actions from the past, still helped you when you were hurt, even if you did leave him behind!"

The Doctor hesitantly looked up and locked his gaze with Rose. Yes, he was angry and tired, and sore, but why did he have to take it all out on her? Perhaps it was because he was slightly envious of her. He, being the last of the Time Lords, with the whole universe on his shoulders, and his mind plagued with pain and loss, and misery, and Rose, her mind fresh and barely affected by anything the Doctor had seen and felt.

"I'm sorry." He said, and he meant it, "There was no need to take this all out on you. You were just trying to help, and I…I was just, I don't know, not being myself. It's just, the dreams felt so realistic, and I felt as if I was actually back there, and…and…" He cut off, his voice breaking slightly.

Rose bit her lip. She hated to see the Doctor like this. He was just so vulnerable at the moment, and she wasn't used to him being that way. Moving around the console, she pulled him into a hug and spoke.

"It's alright, Doctor. You've been through a lot. It's ok."

As she hugged him, Jack slowly appeared at the TARDIS doors, and quietly, she ushered him inside. The minute he entered however, the doors slammed behind him, and suddenly the central column of the console came to life.

"What's going on?" Rose asked as the Doctor limped over to the console and looked at the screen again, frowning.

"I…I don't know, I didn't do anything, but it seems that the TARDIS is in flight!"

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Remember, reviews make me happy, and they make me write faster! Please review! :P**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, I just had a serious mental block, but I think it's sorted now :P**

**Chapter 13**

The TARDIS crashed uncomfortably onto the rough ground, knocking all of it's passengers off of their feet with a thud.

"Where are we?" Jack asked as he grabbed the side of the console to pull himself upright.

"No idea." The Doctor replied heavily, also beginning to get to his feet.

"Who put the TARDIS in flight?" Jack then asked.

"No idea." The Doctor repeated, helping Rose to her feet.

As she brushed herself off, Rose said, "It's just like what happened when we fell into that parallel universe, remember Doctor?"

The Doctor nodded darkly, "But we can't be there again, it's almost impossible to travel there once, but to travel there again so soon after...well..."

He trailed of as he grabbed the railing for support and began to clamber down the ramp to the door. Opening it slowly, his eyes widened and he turned back to Rose, who was standing right behind him.

"Ok, maybe I was wrong."

He moved to the side so that Rose could look out into the world beyond. Rose gasped, but then she let out a large smile as two men ran round the corner of a large building and stopped about ten metres from the TARDIS.

"Mickey!" She yelled, aghast, running out of the TARDIS without hesitation and Heading straight for Mickey, who looked just as surprised as Rose did. The minute they reached each other, they embraced. Jake, who had appeared with Mickey, smiled at the sight, before turning to look at the Doctor, who was still standing in the doorway of the TARDIS, watching the reunion with slight evidence of sadness in his wise eyes.

It felt like a lifetime before Rose and Mickey parted, and when they finally did, Rose grasped his hand, and grinning from ear to ear, led him back to the TARDIS, Jake following on just behind.

As soon as they reached the TARDIS, Mickey looked up at the Doctor and quietly voiced, "Alright Boss?"

"Doctor, we've found Mickey!" Rose exclaimed.

"Yes, Rose, I'm aware of that." The Doctor replied quietly.

"Just ignore him." Jack called from behind, "He's just an injured, grumpy man."

"Who's that?" Jake asked in his strong welsh accent.

"I'm Captain Jack Harkness, at your service!" Jack stated, saluting happily.

"How did you get here?" Mickey asked curiously, I thought we were sealed off."

"Well, Mickety-mick-Mickey, to tell you the truth, you were." The Doctor replied darkly, "I honestly have no idea how we got here. Are we in parallel London?"

Jake shook his head, "We're in Paris." Set out here to get rid of the Cybermen. Still not got them all yet."

"Isn't it such a bit of a coincidence that we happen to land right where you are?" Rose stated.

Mickey shrugged, "Lucky's more like it."

They all turned to the Doctor, who hadn't moved from his position in the doorway. His eyes were unfocused and he bit his lip, as if he was deep in thought.

"Doctor?" Rose asked, a concerned look in her eyes, "What's wrong."

The Doctor pulled himself out of his reverie, turning to look at Rose, "What's wrong, is that this can't have happened. Quite frankly, this is impossible."

At that moment, there was a tremendous thudding, and a Cyberman came trudging around the corner and straight for the TARDIS.

The Doctor began to hobble up the ramp again, Jack just in front.

"Quick, get inside, all of you!" He yelled behind him, "We'll talk about this inside. Quickly!"

With that, Rose, Mickey and Jake all jumped on-board, slamming the door just before the Cyberman reached it.

**A/N: Sorry it's quite short, but I promise I'll update soon! Thanks, and please review!**


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